Biggie's Clam Bar was founded in 1946 by Joseph Yaccarino, a legend in family lore. In the 1930s he performed as a comedian under the stage name "Biggie". By 1941, he decided to place his fate with clams. Hoboken was a blue collared waterfront town at the time, populated with hundreds of taverns, to which "Joe Biggie" went corner to corner selling raw clams from pails. Eventually he operated a pushcart, selling clams on the half shell for a nickel a piece. Joseph Biggie recruited his son Michael "Brother" into the business and in 1946, father and son opened Biggie's Clam Bar on Madison Street. Biggie's is still housed in the original red brick building and has since become a Hoboken institution, right along with Frank Sinatra and baseball. Biggie's is best known for its family atmosphere and, second to none, raw clams on a half shell. In 1996, Biggie's was handed to the 3rd generation of family members and underwent an expansion to its current size.